This week, you may notice the change you receive after buying your morning cup of coffee or picking up your prescription seems somewhat lighter. This is because, beginning Monday, Feb. 4, the penny will no longer be distributed to businesses or financial institutions.

It’s all part of the federal government’s move to eliminate the one cent coin, and businesses are dealing with it in different ways.

Joan Smith, owner of the local Tim Hortons on Queen Street, says her business, which sees large amounts of change pass through it daily, will no longer give out the penny. Should a transaction be done by debit, credit, or Tim’s Card, the price you pay will remain the same. However, should you pay in cash, your total, after taxes, will be rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five. Therefore, if your change works out to $1.01 or $1.02, you’ll receive $1 back. If it’s $1.03 or $1.04, you’ll receive $1.05. This is per federal regulation, which Smith has posted at the entrance to the coffee and donut shop.

“Even if we have pennies in the drawer, we won’t give them out,” she explains. “But we’ll accept them still. We’ll accept them forever…They’re still legal tender.”

Smith adds that she isn’t worried about the change, because the combination of rounding up and down will even out in the end.

Cathy Forster, owner of Jackson’s Pharmacy on Wellington Street, also says she’s not worried about the loss of the penny. “We’ll still give them out as long as we have them,” she says, adding that she’s waiting on operating system software adjustments and word from accountants regarding the changes before details are worked out.

“As far as we know, (the rounding up/down system) is a suggestion,” says Forster. “We’re going to do business as usual until we run out of pennies.”

According to Carol Taylor, branch manager at Scotiabank’s St. Marys location, any pennies that the institution receives will be sent away and melted down, to be used as base metals for other coins.
Scotiabank has even introduced penny bags that hold $25 worth of the coin and are measured by a fill line.

Like Tim Hortons, the bank will be accepting pennies, but will not be distributing them. Taylor notes that any profit made by the bank while rounding up will be recorded and donated to charity.

X-Park needs pennies

If you’re looking to get rid of your pennies, there’s one fine receptacle open for civic-minded residents: The X-Park fundraising campaign is $24,000 short of its needed total. Organizer Carey Pope says they could potentially begin building; however, more money is needed to complete the BMX and skate park as per the current design.

X-Park organizers hope that people will donate their last few pennies to the park. A large bucket has been placed in Scotiabank this week to collect people’s unneeded pennies for this purpose.
“They really add up,” says Pope.

As an added incentive, Carol Taylor says that any funds received by the bucket will be matched by Scotiabank.

If you’d like to host the X-Park’s penny bucket at your place of business, contact the town hall.

Council has decided on a place for your x-park, but adults should look into the x-park very carefully.

While I was on holidays in BC years ago, my two grandsons then 9 to 13 years old went to the x-park to do their skateboarding. Years after, jumping off and on the skateboard at the park ended with numerous damage to their wrists and ankles.

After numerous operations, even to this day, they are still troubled by the pain that was caused and their places are limited as to where they can work.

Sadie Walsh
St. Marys

Thank you for your article “X-Park location decision pushed back to Nov. 6” (Journal Argus, Oct. 31). Just for clarity, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) awarded a one-year $60,000 grant to the Town of St. Marys to purchase and install skateboard equipment for the new X-Park.

OTF invests in initiatives such as X-Park in order to help build healthy and vibrant communities. We welcome the opportunity to help fund X-Park — wherever it will eventually be located.

It’s not a case of wishing to “avoid being involved in controversy,” as your article stated. Rather, it is part of the regular OTF process not to be involved in resolving issues such as this that occasionally arise as a community clarifies its needs. Our grants are public dollars. Once the site is confirmed we’ll ensure all our standard policy requirements have been met, such as proof of ownership, proof of insurance and a commitment the equipment purchased with OTF funds will remain in place for at least five years.

OTF considers this a worthy initiative, and is looking forward to receiving documentation from the municipality on its selection of a final location for X-Park.

Regards,
Alexis Mantell
Ontario Trillium Foundation

(Editor’s note: the phrase attributed by Alexis Mantell to the Oct. 31 article was taken directly from comments made by an employee of the Town of St. Marys in a regular meeting of St. Marys Town Council on Oct. 23.)

Fourteen months after first conditionally approving to the construction of a facility for skateboarding and BMX biking on town-owned property directly south of the Fire Hall, St. Marys Town Council passed a similar motion on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

It’s now expected the so-called “X-Park” will be in place some time next summer, with $60,000 of the estimated $150,000 cost being covered by a grant from the Ontario government-funded Trillium Foundation. The Town, meanwhile, has already committed $20,000, and most of the rest of the cost has already been secured — either in cash donations or through in-kind contributions — by a community-based fundraising campaign conducted mainly by the young people who will be the facility’s main users.

Last Tuesday’s motion was proposed following the withdrawal of an earlier motion to explore building the X-Park at the tennis courts on Water Street. Prior to that, a public meeting was held to seek input into a proposed Cadzow Park location. But the original plan — first approved by Council, pending “due diligence,” was the Fire Hall property.

Fire Chief Dennis Brownlee made a presentation at the Nov. 20 meeting, outlining the Fire Department’s concerns. And Councillor Bill Osborne — the only one to vote against the most recent motion — argued those concerns have remained consistent through the months.

But Don Van Galen, who brought forward the Nov. 20 motion, countered that efforts to mitigate those concerns will be part of the planning process prior to building the new facility.

Studies demonstrate that vibrant communities come from engaged citizens at all age levels, including children and youth. Failing communities do so because citizens no longer care. Delinquency comes from children and youth that are disempowered and disengaged.

We have an opportunity right now to show our children and youth that they have a voice and that we respect and care about what is important to them. For over a year, a group of children and youth have tirelessly worked side by side with adults in the community to research, fundraise, and build awareness about an X-Park in St. Marys. They have done all the hard work. The only item remaining is a decision on where to build.

For some reason I cannot fathom, many in our community assume that with an X-Park comes delinquency. Do we make this assumption with basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball diamonds? No, because they are sports that all adults are familiar with. Skateboarding, scootering and BMX trick biking are new sports. Sports just like basketball, tennis and baseball. They are important to our youth and, therefore, they should be important to us.

They are asking us to help them build the forum they need for these sports and we should be embracing their passion rather than trying to distinguish it.

So my preference between the two locations…the Pyramid Centre. In the centre of all the activity where it would be easily accessible by skateboard, scooter and bike. Not tucked away in a dimly lit part of Town where few people live and play and it is not very accessible.

Let’s respect and celebrate the work that many members of our community have done to make the X-Park a reality, and build it where it will be used and enjoyed.

My personal thanks to all those who have worked so hard to make this a reality. To the kids that have put so much work into it, I admire you greatly. I hope we do not let you down.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Hill, St. Marys

It was strike two for the St. Marys X-Park on Tuesday, Nov. 6, and frustration about what might happen next was clearly evident during a public meeting held by Town Council at Town Hall.

“The inaction is as damaging as if you guys were fighting, or if there were citizens fighting,” offered Jamie Forman, the father of an avid skateboard and scooter rider who has worked for well over a year to help build awareness and raise funds for the proposed facility.

After an initial approval of the concept in July, 2011, Town Councillors gave the go-ahead on Sept. 13, 2011 for a facility for skateboarding and BMX biking next to the Fire Hall on James Street South, subject to due diligence being completed.

Then, on Oct. 2 of this year, Council gave the go-ahead for staff to pursue a plan to tear down the former Friendship Centre building at Cadzow Park and replace it with a skateboard park. That happened after objections were raised to the Fire Hall site.

As the evening wore on Nov. 6, it became clear the Cadzow option, too, would be rejected. Town employee Jenna McCartney kicked off the meeting with a presentation outlining how the Fire Hall and Cadzow sites emerged out of an initial list of eight possible locations. Then, one by one, councillors were given the opportunity to list their questions, concerns and suggestions. And, one by one, they offered their preferred location — none of which included either the Fire Hall or Cadzow.

Don Van Galen began by suggesting the Pyramid Centre grounds, near the wheelchair accessible playground structure. Bill Osborne was next, expanding on what he believed to be the benefits of an X-Park near the tennis courts on Water Street South.

Citing a widely-held expectation that the administrators of the Province of Ontario-funded Trillium Foundation would not release a planned $60,000 grant for the St. Marys X-Park if it becomes apparent that the location will inspire public dissent, Osborne added, “if you go the Cadzow route, we will not get a consensus.” Later, he argued the same would be true if it went to the Pyramid Centre, due to the proximity to numerous Meadowridge subdivision backyards.

It all seemed a little too much for the mild-mannered Forman, who rose and told the gathering that he had come prepared with a reasoned explanation of why residents of the Cadzow neighbourhood should not be concerned about the prospect of skateboarders congregating for fun in the park. Instead, having conceded that the X-Park would not be built where the former Friendship Centre now stands, he urged Council to come to a decision about location as soon as possible, and get down to the construction phase.

“We’ve been dragging this out forever,” Forman said, adding he was surprised recently to see trees being cut down at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in preparation for a recently agreed-upon plan to build a new ball diamond. If a decision can be made and work can begin that quickly for a ball diamond, why, he asked, should it take so much longer to get the ball rolling for the X-Park?

“I don’t want to argue over this, and I don’t want to raise taxes. I just want to have a place for the kids.”

The Town Councillor who has been at Forman’s side — along with Forman’s son, Mackenzie (who also spoke at the Nov. 6 public meeting) — through much of the fundraising and awareness campaign, Carey Pope, echoed his disillusionment.

“Let’s get this built for the kids,” Pope said. “They’ve waited a long time since the old (Town-owned skateboarding facility) was taken down and turned into a parking lot.”

According to McCartney, the Solis Park and tennis courts sites had both been struck from the shortlist by Town staff earlier in the process.
At Solis Park, factors working against the location included the proximity to numerous residential backyards, and the absence of nearby roadways to allow for convenient monitoring by police on drive-by patrols.

At the tennis courts, meanwhile, it was obvious there was insufficient space north of the courts. So the only option is taking over at least part of or, perhaps, most of (if no green space is to be eliminated) the main Quarry/tennis courts/Lind Sportsplex parking lot. With the area already very busy with pedestrians at certain times during the summer, Town staff determined it would be unwise to add to the congestion.

Osborne, however, argued parking is still available a couple of hundred metres south along Water Street, in an area currently used by the town for snow piles. If sidewalks are installed, the councillor suggested, that area will work for overflow Quarry/Sportsplex parking during busy times.

And McCotter said, “it just seems to me that there’s a lot of square footage there (to accommodate the X-Park) . . . and it’s a place that is teeming with young people in the summer.”

A motion considered by Council at the conclusion of the Nov. 6 meeting was to construct the X-Park next to the tennis courts, subject to discussions being held with the two nearby residential landowners. But there was never a vote on that motion; instead, councillors voted 5-2 in favour of deferring that motion for two weeks, thereby allowing Town staff to consult the landowners prior to the vote.

Then, in the ensuing days, a notice appeared on the Town website, seeking “further public input” on both the tennis courts and Solis Park sites. “Council will further discuss the location of the X-Park during a Special Meeting of Council on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. located in the Town Hall Council Chambers,” the notice reads. “If you wish to provide input please call or email your comments by 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16 to 519-284-2340, ext. 212 or xpark@town.stmarys. on.ca.

About 30 members of the public attended the Nov. 6 meeting. That included six residents of the Cadzow neighbourhood who stood and expressed their objections to Council.

I was at the meeting about the St. Marys X-Park on Tuesday night and I am opposed to the idea about the location behind the tennis courts. I believe that the X-Park should go at the PRC location.

In my experience, as a teenager in St. Marys, on a weeknight there is already a large population of bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. at the Little Falls School park. Also, the youth centre is already in the PRC location making it the perfect youth hangout spot. Lastly, the PRC is publicly accessible so that, in the cold of November or October, a person can get some hot chocolate at the canteen.

My thoughts about the tennis courts idea is that it’s far away from residential areas making it harder for youth to access. It’s only a hangout for teens during the summer and if they wanted to go to buy something in the Quarry, they would have to pay admission to get into the Quarry. The Quarry is only open in the summer and X-Park sports go until the snow falls and start when the snow melts.

I hope you have considered my thoughts and I hope the X-Park can be located at the PRC.

Sincerely,

Billy Strathdee
St. Marys

The decision as to where the X-Park will be built has been pushed back and will potentially be decided upon at a public meeting on Nov. 6.

Originally, the agenda of St. Marys Town Council’s meeting on Tuesday, October 23 called for a decision on whether the BMX and skate area was to be built at Cadzow Park. However, a delegation by Rev. Dr. Jerry Towne, who resides close to Cadzow and feels there hasn’t been enough discussion on the issue, helped convince Council to revisit the issue in two weeks time.

”We haven’t been consulted,” said Towne. “Personally, I feel we haven’t done due diligence.”

Despite the neighbourhood being canvassed by staff and a number of opinions gathered, (at the time of the meeting, staff’s count stood at forty-nine for the idea and thirteen against), Council decided that further discussion would be held at the public meeting on the sixth so that a consensus might be reached, especially since the Trillium Foundation, who stands to make a substantial contribution to the park, allegedly wishes to avoid being involved in controversy.

“It’s not a done deal yet,” confirmed the town’s Corporate Project Coordinator Jenna McCartney. “They want to make sure Council is completely onboard.”

“I don’t want this project put in jeopardy,” said Councillor Carey Pope, who has been one of the biggest cheerleaders and organizers behind the X-Park. “Maybe we could’ve done better public consultation, but I do not want to rock the boat with Trillium.”

Councillor Stephen McCotter felt that, after reading the agreement with Trillium, that things were not as perilous as some were saying, and that Trillium only wanted to ensure the public would be happy with whatever project the organization was funding. “They’re looking for informed public discussion,” he said. “I read it as not having a June deadline…It allows us to pause it until we have a collective agreement.”

However, Councillor Lynn Hainer pointed out that the town can only apply for one Trillium grant at a time, and that they won’t be able to apply for more until the X-Park issue is resolved.

Furthering the desire for a public meeting was a poster advertising a meeting scheduled for Oct. 20 which was accidentally put up on the town’s website, causing some confusion amongst those who planned to attend when they were told it wasn’t going to happen.

“Staff prepared two posters to outline options of collecting public feedback; one was the public meeting and the other was the consultation through email or telephone,” clarified McCartney in an interview following the meeting. Though Council decided to go with the email and telephone route, it was the other mock-up that was erroneously posted to the town’s website.

“Unfortunately, it was all a misunderstanding,” said McCartney.

Councillor Bill Osborne expressed his concern that the X-Park in Cadzow issue and the future of Cadzow Pool be kept separate at the Nov. 6 meeting. “Are we going to talk about the whole park at the meeting?
Because I think they’re two separate issues,” he said.

Pope agreed, saying the discussion should centre on the X-Park location and nothing else, but Councillor Don Van Galen felt the two issues are interrelated. “The building demolition (for the former Friendship Centre) adds another $50,000 to the park’s budget…to tear down a building which, only a few months ago, we were looking for a tenant for,” he noted.

He said he feels the public will decide what will be discussed at the meeting.

But Mayor Steve Grose wants to keep discourse on task. “I don’t see any other way to correct this than holding a public meeting, but we need to deal with the X-Park. If not, we’re going to lose $100,000’s in grant money. I’m not going to say, on Nov. 6, that I didn’t know about this. Everybody knows about this now.”

He urged the public to attend the meeting with open minds, but to stay on subject. “We need to get the X-Park done. If someone says, ‘We need a playground first,’ that doesn’t get the X-Park done.’”

Council will potentially discuss alternative locations at the Nov. 6 meeting as well, including Milt Dunnell Field, the parking lot beside the tennis courts, the PRC beside the playground, and East Ward Park.

With the decision to go with Heritage District, we appear to be past one big municipal debate and onto another: The location of the X-Park.

The first proposed site, due to concerns of its close proximity to the fire hall, is now out of the running, (although many maintain it is still the ideal choice.) Choice two is Cadzow Park, but a small group of Cadzow neighbours have begun writing letters and appearing at Council meetings insisting the X-Park does not belong in their area.

Let’s talk arguments against: If your beef centres around concerns over traffic or safety, fine…there could be a case made for validity. If your focus is the preservation of the former friendship centre, ok. That’s a legitimate concern too.

But those whose arguments centre around either A: “I live in a quiet neighbourhood and I want it to stay that way,” or B: “I don’t want the kind of people around that this would attract.” need to give their collective heads a shake.

First, the former: Recently, there have been a number of instances of citizens insisting upon their right to live in absolute, deafening silence. Whether it be live music in downtown Stratford, barking dogs, or, now, the X-Park, there is a small fraction of society that inexplicably got the idea inserted into their heads that they have the fundamental right to hear a pin drop in their neighbourhood.

But it’s not a right. There will always be a factory, a busy street, an outdoor pool, a passing train, get-togethers, or the incessant buzzing of a nearby power box to annoy you. If you want to live in absolute, zero-decibel quiet, silencing the signs of life around you, invest in a submarine.

Secondly, the “not these people in my neighbourhood” argument. Recently in London, there was a community meeting where concerned citizens were voicing their opinions on a proposed methadone clinic to be built in their area. It’s disturbing how similar the arguments against this clinic and those against the X-Park have been.

The “not these people” argument was used so unapologetically in London that one city councillor stood up and pleaded with the audience to stop talking about clinic-patrons so negatively lest they be charged with a human rights violation. Now, regardless of your feelings on Methadone clinics, the one glaring difference between these two cases is clear: “These people” in London are individuals struggling with opiate addictions. “These people” in St. Marys are our own kids.

Perhaps those who would paint potential X-Park-patrons as criminals, scumbags, and drug-users, would be happier if the money for the park were instead spent on a boarding school somewhere far outside of town, where we could send the young people of St. Marys once they stop being cute, only letting them back in once they have cute babies of their own.

Sounds like a pretty dumb idea, doesn’t it? Well, guess what? So does your argument. Implying that a public park is not for teenagers is downright hateful and ignorant.

If you’re planning on using either of these two arguments in future letters or meetings, feel free…but be warned, you do so at the risk of sounding far more childish than the people you’re trying to shut out of Cadzow.

If either of these two thoughtless opinions kill the Cadzow location, expect them to kill location options C and D as well, wherever they may be. Hopefully, by the time the adults are done bickering, the generation that has worked so hard to make the X-Park happen won’t be too old to use it.

(C.G)

Dear Jenna McCartney:

I am opposed to the plans for an X-Park at Cadzow. In a town that is struggling to pay for the services that it already is trying to provide, it is insane to even contemplate such an idea. Has anybody considered the liability?

As a Rotarian, I am concerned that the green space that was originally intended for family recreation be maintained. I do not believe that more cemented area is helping the cause of a park that caters to small children in a residential setting and with a potential influx of new homes in the area just south.

It would be poor planning to put the X-Park there.

Cadzow needs more playground equipment as the old equipment is being removed systematically.

I have not seen a study on skate parks but my observations in other towns have been negative. They are hangouts at night and eyesores of graffiti during
the day and seldom used for the purpose intended. My personal opinion is that, like paintball parks, they should be privately owned and supervised.

Some people think of grant money as some kind of gift but it is tax money and should be spent wisely. Our tennis courts are looking shabby, the Grand Trunk bridge needs paint, the dam needs work and ball parks have been an issue. And these are just a few of areas needing attention.

Couldn’t we spend money improving the things we have that benefit all citizens?

Thank you.
Gary G. Cumming
St. Marys